Reborn as a high school freshman with an awakened system, a fat boy transforms into a male god.

Su Yuan paused for a moment, then smiled: "Next time I come, I'll bring an extra bottle of wine."

"No need to bring wine," Lin Jianhua chimed in from the side. "Just bring some food. Bringing a dish each time will make the next meal even more plentiful."

Su Yuan thought for a moment and nodded seriously: "Then I'll go to the market to buy a fish tomorrow."

He paused for a moment, then added, "But the fish I cook isn't very good."

"Then let Wan Tang do it," Wang Xiulan said, stacking the empty bowls together. "You just need to eat it."

Su Wantang, who was just finishing her soup, nearly choked when she heard that. She put down her bowl, covered her mouth with the back of her hand, and coughed twice before she recovered. The tips of her ears were bright red under the light, and the whole area felt hot.

Lin Bei lowered his head and ate his rice, pretending he hadn't heard anything.

[Host, your mother looks very smug. She had the same expression three months ago when she said, "This girl is pretty good," exactly like when she picked out a good piece of pork at the market. It's as if she's saying, "My daughter-in-law is secured."]

Lin Bei: "..."

Lin Jianhua stood up and patted Su Yuan on the shoulder: "Shall we sit on the sofa for a while? Let's make some tea."

"Okay." Su Yuan also stood up.

The two walked over to the sofa and sat down. The television was on, the volume turned down low, playing an evening news program. Lin Jianhua picked up the remote and changed the channel to a variety show; laughter emanated from the speakers, neither too loud nor too soft.

Wang Xiulan carried the bowls and plates into the kitchen, and the tap started running. Su Wantang stood up and followed her in: "Auntie, let me help you."

"No need, no need, please sit down."

"It's alright, I'll wash you."

Soon, the sound of two people talking could be heard from the kitchen, muffled and indistinct through the wall. Occasionally, a few laughs would drift out from under the door, only to be drowned out by the sound of running water.

In the kitchen, Wang Xiulan was washing pots and pans by the sink, while Su Wantang stood beside her wiping dishes. The two were separated by a stream of water and rising steam, as if they had washed dishes together many times before.

[Host, if those two were to participate in a housekeeping competition, they could probably win the "Best Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law Compatibility Award."]

Lin Bei smiled inwardly, placed the empty bowl on the stove, and glanced at Su Wantang. She was wiping a white porcelain bowl carefully, turning it over to check every nook and cranny.

"Just leave the bowl there," Wang Xiulan said without turning her head. "Go out and have tea with your dad and the others."

Lin Bei stood at the kitchen doorway, not leaving immediately. He leaned against the doorframe and watched for a while. Steam rose slowly under the light, blurring the silhouettes of the two people into warm yellow shadows. Su Wantang's hair shone with a soft brown sheen under the light, a few strands falling beside her face, swaying gently as she wiped the dishes.

She dried the white porcelain bowl, put it in the cupboard, and then picked up another bowl. Wang Xiulan was washing the pot; the water was running loudly, occasionally punctuated by the crisp sound of the spatula hitting the iron pot. The kitchen was filled with the faint lemon scent of dish soap.

Lin Bei stared for about ten seconds, then turned and walked back to the living room. He sat down on the armchair next to the sofa, where a cup of hot tea was already placed in front of him, with wisps of white steam rising from its rim. He picked it up and took a sip; the temperature was just right, not too hot to burn his mouth.

Su Yuan was leaning back on the sofa, holding a cup of tea, chatting with Lin Jianhua. The variety show on TV was still going on, with bursts of laughter, but the two of them were talking louder than the TV, and the conversation had drifted to Su Yuan's experiences working on construction sites when he was young.

"Back then, you only earned eight yuan a day carrying bricks," Su Yuan gestured, "Eight yuan, enough for three meals of noodles and still enough to buy a bottle of soda."

Lin Jianhua chuckled, picked up his teacup, and took a sip: "That's not bad either."

The sound of running water in the kitchen stopped. After a while, Wang Xiulan and Su Wantang came out carrying two plates of cut fruit, one plate of oranges and the other of apples, neatly arranged.

"Have some fruit." Wang Xiulan placed the plate on the coffee table and sat down at the other end of the sofa.

Su Wantang sat down on the low stool opposite the coffee table, picked up a piece of apple, and took a bite. She took small bites and chewed slowly. But her posture was much more relaxed than when she first arrived, and her shoulders were no longer so tense.

The sounds of conversation and television in the living room blended together, creating a reassuring background noise. The night breeze was still blowing outside, occasionally letting in a bit of coolness through the window cracks, but it was quickly melted away by the warmth of the indoor heating and the sounds filling the room.

Lin Bei held the cup of tea, leaned back in his chair, and glanced around the living room. His father was talking to Su Yuan with his head turned to the side, his hand resting on the sofa armrest, occasionally gesturing.

His mother sat at the other end of the sofa, peeling an orange. After peeling one segment, she handed it to Su Wantang. Su Wantang took it and softly said "Thank you, Auntie," then lowered her head and put the orange segment into her mouth, chewing very slowly.

Lin Bei withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and took another sip of tea. The tea was now lukewarm, not scalding, and had a faint aftertaste.

The wind blew outside the window again, lifting a corner of the curtain before it fell back down.

"Oh, right," Su Yuan suddenly remembered something, put down his teacup, "Are you free the day after tomorrow?"

"The day after tomorrow is Sunday, nothing much to do," Lin Jianhua said.

"I'll cook lunch the day after tomorrow, you can come over for lunch." Su Yuan rubbed his hands together. "Although my cooking isn't as good as your sister-in-law's, it'll still be a way of returning the favor."

Wang Xiulan paused in peeling the orange, looked up at him, and then smiled: "Okay. Then the three of us will be there on time the day after tomorrow at noon."

Su Yuan smiled too, his wrinkles crinkling together. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and as he put it down, his fingers lingered on the rim for a moment.

The living room was quiet for a few seconds. A segment from a variety show on TV cut to a clip, and Lin Jianhua casually turned the volume down.

Su Wantang sat on a low stool, still holding half an apple in her hand, without taking a bite. She lowered her head, her gaze fixed on her knees, the faint smile still lingering at the corners of her mouth.

Lin Bei sat in the single chair opposite, holding the empty teacup in his hand without putting it down. He glanced at Su Wantang's lowered profile, then at Su Yuan who was drinking tea, and finally at his parents sitting at either end of the sofa.

[The system detected the host's emotional index... never mind, it's high anyway. This is the result of the host's hard work over the past few days.]

Lin Bei held the empty teacup and looked around at everyone in the living room.

He suddenly realized that the house seemed much bigger than it had been three months ago.